What’s making me happy (June 29)

I’ll Be Me. I watched this Glen Campbell documentary on CNN Sunday evening. I am not a huge Glen Campbell fan, but I have huge respect for him as a musician and I always have had a secret penchant for old-school country. This glimpse into his life post-Alzheimer’s diagnosis mesmerized me. While the focus mostly was on how well Campbell performed during his farewell tour, the film didn’t shy away from more uncomfortable moments, such as Campbell’s angry outbursts and losing track of lyrics on stage. Overall, what great evidence that shows how deeply engrained in us our passions are. Campbell maybe didn’t know where the bathroom was in his house, but give him a guitar and all that muscle memory took over. Amazing.

Host Karina Longworth.

You Must Remember This podcast. How did I come across this? I don’t remember. All I know is that I found it the day that Vincent Bugliosi died. I discovered two episodes about the Manson family, with more to follow. Fascinating, fascinating. The podcast features stories — some well known, some forgotten, about Hollywood’s first 100 years.

Deep Valley Book Festival. A Mankato book festival is always a wonderful thing. We’re just a small-ish town in southern Minnesota, but I looked around and felt entirely pleased at the writing talent in this community. Several authors from the Twin Cities metro area and beyond also attended. I talked to one parent who said his 9-year-old son has a book in his hand more often than an iPad. Yay!